1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to locking devices for shopping carts and more particularly pertains to a new shopping cart rental system for renting shopping carts and encouraging returning of shopping carts to designated areas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of locking devices for shopping carts is known in the prior art. More specifically, locking devices for shopping carts heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,863; U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,893; U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,325; U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,816; U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,507; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,989.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new shopping cart rental system. The inventive device includes a plurality of rental assemblies. Each of the rental assemblies comprises a housing for attaching to the handle of the shopping cart. The housing comprises an upper portion adapted for orientating above the handle of the shopping cart. A lower portion is couplable to the upper portion for orientating below the handle of the shopping cart. A plurality of coin slots are located on a front face of the upper portion. The coin slots are adapted for receiving coins for renting the shopping cart. A key slot is formed through a rear face of said upper portion. A key is for inserting into the key slot. The key is coupled to the upper portion of the housing. A key retaining means is for retaining the key in the key slot. A coin operated means for actuating the key retaining means. The coin operated means is operationally coupled between the coin slot and the key slot. The key from a first rental assembly is insertable in the key slot of a second rental assembly such that the first rental assembly is locked to the second assembly. The coin operated means of the second rental assembly is adapted to actuate the key retaining means of the second rental assembly to release the key of the first rental assembly. The key retaining means of the second rental means is adapted to actuate the coin operated means of the second rental assembly upon insertion of the key of the first rental assembly into the key slot of the second rental assembly.
In these respects, the shopping cart rental system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of renting shopping carts and encouraging returning of shopping carts to designated areas.